Fig. 5: Dynamics of GCaMP6m-fluorescence signal in the MeAOXTR+AI and MeAOXTR+VMHvl during social behaviors. | Nature Communications

Fig. 5: Dynamics of GCaMP6m-fluorescence signal in the MeAOXTR+AI and MeAOXTR+VMHvl during social behaviors.

From: Distinct medial amygdala oxytocin receptor neurons projections respectively control consolation or aggression in male mandarin voles

Fig. 5

a, b, l, m Virus regimen (adapted from The Mouse Brain in Stereotaxic Coordinates by Paxinos and Franklin, a, l) and schedule (b, m). c, n Images of GCaMP6m of MeAOXTR+AI(VMHvl) and actual fiber tracts (scale bars, 500 μm). 6 and 7 independent repetitions with similar results in (c) and (n). d, o Overlapped images of GCaMP6m (EGFP, green) and OXTR (Cy3, red) in the MeAOXTR+AI(VMHvl) (scale bars, 50 μm). n = 3 voles/group. e, f, p, q Representative traces of calcium signal in the MeAOXTR+AI(VMHvl) when facing stressed siblings and male intruders. g1–k1, r1–v1 Changes of calcium signals in the MeAOXTR+AI(VMHvl) before and after sniffing siblings (g1, p < 0.05; r1), intruder (h1; s1, p < 0.01) and object (i1; t1), allogroom (j1, p = 0.013; u1) and attack (k1; v1, p = 0.022). g2–k2, r2–v2 Peri-event plot of calcium signal (Delta F/F, %) in the MeAOXTR+AI(VMHvl) aligned to onsets of social behaviors. Colored lines indicate group averages of 6-s calcium signal and shaded areas indicate S.E.M. Dotted lines define time windows for analyzing AUC per second of a single event. w–z AUC per second distinctions of calcium signal traces in the MeAOXTR+AI(VMHvl). GCaMP6m of MeAOXTR+AI, sniffing: sibling versus intruder, p = 0.029; sibling versus object, p = 0.015. Allogrooming versus attack, p = 0.015. GCaMP6m of MeAOXTR+VMHvl, sniffing: sibling versus intruder, p = 0.041; intruder versus object, p = 0.014. Attack versus allogrooming, p = 0.018. n = 6 and 7 voles in (w, x) and (y, z). Data was analyzed by a two-tail paired t-test (g1–k1, r1–v1, x, z) and Repeated measure one-way ANOVA with Sidak’s multiple comparison test (w, y). **p < 0.01, *p < 0.05. Data are presented as the means +/− SEM. Statistical details are presented in Supplementary Data. 1 file. Source data are provided as a Source Data file. AUC area under the curve, Delta F/F (%) change in fluorescence as a function of baseline fluorescence, ns no significance.

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